Love in an Elevator
by CatwomanNY
Summary: There's a major heat wave going on in Las Vegas and Nick gets trapped in an elevator on his way to a scene. Good thing he has company, or is it? Now rated M and new chapters are added!
1. Chapter 1

_**My Dear Readers**: The following is just something that struck me today. Yes, today. I am thinking it has all the fixings for one of my signature long stories, but I also think it might be good on its own. What do you think? Please read and review and let me know if y'all have any interest in seeing Nick and Sasha anymore._

_Now is the time in our program for the usual disclaimers. Sadly, I do not own CSI or Nick Stokes. While George Eads is my future husband (he just doesn't know I exist yet, but I am working on remeding that fact), he is one of the masterminds behind the great character/man that Nick has become in nine years. Him along with all of the writers, producers, directors, makeup people, craft service people...you get my drift. Also, I have absolutely no money. Hence why I can't get out to LA to marry George and spend all my time writing a novel that still isn't finished and writing fanfic, but I digress too much. Sasha, on the other hand, does belong to me. She was born in the dark of my mind, but I am happy to allow her to go on playdates, just ask. Now, on with the story..._

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It was a hot summer day in Las Vegas. The kind of hot that taxed even the most hardy of electric and air conditioning systems in a city that was used to triple digits. The heat, while dry, was still oppressive. It sent numerous souls to the already crowded hospitals and natives running for cooler destinations. The city's power grid was pushed to capacity and barely keeping up. There were rolling brownouts. Even the famed Strip hotels were running on partial generator power just to appear normal and there was no relief in sight. All the weather reports called for the stifling temperatures to continue for at least five days. It was set to be the longest heat wave in the city's history according to one broadcaster. The only silver lining to come out of all of it was that the crime rate was down. It was even too hot for the criminals to come out to play, Nick thought to himself when he stepped into the elevator of the Venetian.

It was hot, sure, but Sasha didn't know it. She hadn't left the hotel for close to a week. In fact, her venture to Restaurant Row for a late dinner was the first time she'd left her hotel suite for the better part of two weeks. Deadlines were looming, but room service was getting old. All she new of the current heat wave was what she read in the morning paper. Even then, it was only a brief glance before turning her concentration back to her laptop, but a combination of eyestrain and cabin fever had driven her down to the lobby for an hour before she stepped back onto the elevators to go back to her suite and get back to work.

"What floor?" Nick asked the raven-haired, blue eyed beauty with a smile.

"Sixteenth, thank you." Sasha returned his smile, enjoying how his caused his brown eyes to light up.

They exchanged light conversation until suddenly the elevator lurched to a stop and the emergency lights came on. "Well, that's not good." He reached for the phone panel and pulled out the receiver, but found it dead. "That's really not good." Pulling his cell phone off his belt, he dialed the front desk. "Yes, this is CSI Stokes. A guest and I are stuck in the north elevator. What is the status?"

"The entire city is out, Sir. We are working to get the generators up and running, but it could be a few hours."

"OK, thank you." He sighed and hung up. "Looks like we are going to be here for awhile." When the woman didn't answer, he finally looked over and saw her curled up in the corner, her head between her knees. "Come on now. It's not that bad. They'll have us out of here in no time."

"That's what I'm trying to convince myself." His Texas drawl and gentle yet strong hand on her shoulder was calming. "Thank you, I'll be fine. I'm just not a fan of elevators, or enclosed spaces in general for that matter."

"Can't say that I disagree with you there, Ma'am." He sat down next to her with another sigh.

"Sasha."

"I'm sorry?"

"Sasha, Sasha Pennington, not Ma'am." She finally smiled and extended her hand.

"Nick Stokes." He smiled back.

"Are you a police officer, Mr. Nick Stokes?" Sasha gestured to his sidearm.

"Criminalist."

"A scientist who packs heat. The perfect man."

Nick laughed; grateful she wouldn't be able to see his blush in the strange yellow lighting, before countering. "And what do you do, Ma'am."

"I'm a writer."

"What do you write?"

"Travel books."

"That sounds exciting."

"It can be." Her smile faded as she thought about the weeks spent in foreign cities locked in expansive hotel suites with only her laptop and the room service delivery boy to keep her company. "What about you? It must be satisfying to be able to conclusively prove that the bad guy did the crime."

"It can be." He winked at her with a smile. "It's satisfying when the bad guys actually go to jail for their crime. Can't say it's as satisfying when some slimy defense attorney gets them off. Just the same as, I'm sure, you can get lonely sitting in all those hotel rooms typing away."

"How'd you guess that?"

"The lighting in here is bad, but I can still see your beautiful face, Sasha." He grinned and touched his shoulder to hers with a gentle bump.

It was her turn to try to hide a blush behind a wide smile. "What sort of case are you here to investigate?"

"Missing person."

"Guy probably left because it was cooler wherever he was from." They shared a laugh and she unzipped the jacket of her tracksuit.

"Here." Nick helped her off with her jacket and enjoyed the look of her perfectly toned arms and beautiful curves her tank top did nothing to hide.

"Thank you. I didn't know that gentlemen existed anymore."

"We're an endangered species, but we're still around."

She smiled at him then gestured to his department issued vest on top of a white polo shirt. "What about you? You must be dying?"

"I think I'm getting used to this weather, but I do think we are going to be here for a little while longer."

As he removed his vest, Sasha suddenly got the urge to see what was underneath the haphazardly tucked polo shirt. His arms were well defined. It was obvious he spent more time in the gym than she did and it showed. From just a cursory inspection, the man was tight, an incredible level of fitness that was a typical indicator of someone who knew they were good looking. Nick Stokes didn't give off that air of arrogance or self-importance. It was just the opposite. If she were describing him for one of her guides, she would have said unassuming yet with a strong presence. A true gentleman, but something told her he could be tough. "Hmm?"

"Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You've been staring at my vest for almost five minutes."

"It's an interesting vest." She covered with a slight laugh. "Sorry. I'm just worried about my deadline that's in less than twelve hours and less than three-quarters of my assignment is finished."

"What are you writing about?"

"All that there is to do in Las Vegas. I've got most of the chapter written, but there are still some things that I'm having a hard time getting to because of the deadline."

"Like what. Maybe I can help you?"

"Like all the activities off the strip. I like to throw in the non-tourist destinations when I can. You know, an obscure club that has the best dance floor in town, or a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that has food so good and inexpensive that you rave about it to everyone when you get back home, but you wouldn't have stopped there if you hadn't gotten lost and almost run out of gas. That sort of stuff has become almost my signature. The only problem that I'm running into is that there is too much to do in this town that I am required to include. It doesn't really leave room for going out and exploring."

"Tell you what," he bumped her shoulder with his again, "once I finish with my case, and if you can get an extension from your boss, I will show you a native's tour of the city."

"I may just take you up on that offer, Nick, but I need to know one thing."

"Shoot."

"Where are you really a native of because that drawl is more East Texas than South Nevada?"

Again, he laughed a deep resonating laugh. "You are very good, Ma'am. I'm from outside of Fort Worth. How about you? Where do you call home?"

"I don't. This job isn't really conducive to signing a lease when I spent two months in a city being bounced from hotel to hotel trying to finish six books a year, but I grew up in Westchester County, New York."

"What made you choose your line of work?"

"It chose me." She laughed. "I was actually pre-law in college. I wanted to be a district attorney in the worst way, but I put myself through school writing little puff pieces for various local magazines. My junior year I was approached by a professor who taught International Studies and wrote for various travel magazines. She had figured out who I was, which was no small feat since I still write under a pen name, and offered to introduce me to her editor if I was ready to take my writing seriously." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I must be boring you to tears."

"Not at all and I've got no where else to be, Sasha, so please, go on."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

His Texas came through and she had to smile again. "OK, East Texas, but I'm a writer. I can spin yarns that go on for days." She laughed as his smile widened and for a split second she saw his deep brown eyes sparkle. "Where was I? Oh yes, my junior year of college. So, I took her up on her offer thinking that I could write for a few years, save up my money, and then be able to pay for law school without a single loan. Only one problem, I fell in love with the mystique of having tourism boards treating me like royalty. So, here I am, ten years out of college now with a masters degree in English and still hoofing from hotel to hotel at the behest of my publisher."

"Sounds like some of the mystique has worn off."

"You are very observant, East Texas." She smiled and bumped his shoulder.

"That's my job." He smiled and pushed her back. "If you don't like what you do, why don't you stop?"

"Because I do still like what I do. I just don't love it anymore. Some of the shine has worn off, but I have loyal readers who I have come to admire and who have come to trust me. It's a very complicated relationship." She shook her head, wondering what she must have sounded like. "What about you? How did you get into being a scientific superhero? Were you bitten by a radioactive spider or something?"

Never had a woman made him laugh the way he was laughing with Sasha. It almost made him forget the fact that he was trapped in an elevator nine stories above the ground in the middle of a heat wave. The temperature had dropped since the sun had set, but it was still at least eighty degrees and the confinement of the elevator wasn't helping since there was only a small opening for the exhaust fan for air to pass through. Watching her pull her long black hair back into a bun while he spoke just caused his body temperature to rise even more. Her neck was almost begging him to kiss it. The skin glistened with perspiration and it just looked so soft. Almost as soft as her arms had been the couple of times he'd bumped her shoulder.

They'd been stuck in the elevator for the better part of a hour and the sweat was beginning to pour out of her every pore. Sasha had rolled up her pants to her knees, kicked off her sandals, and desperately wanted to take off her sweat-covered tank top. "Nick," her voice didn't hide the exhaustion that was beginning to set in, "please don't take this the wrong way, but I really have to strip one more layer."

"By all means, Sasha. Please, don't stand on ceremony."

"Whoever said that women don't sweat was never trapped in an elevator during a Vegas heat wave." She laughed and pulled her tank over her head.

Nick had been dialing his cell phone, calling Grissom, as she had stripped and he struggled to sound professional at the sight of her half-naked body. She was toned yet still had curves; beautiful smooth curves that called for him to caress them with his hand. "Yeah, hey Gris, look, I'm, um, still stuck in the elevator over at the Venetian."

"I'm not surprised. The entire grid went down. How are you?"

"We're hot, but I think we'll survive. I'm just hoping they get this thing running soon. That hotel suite has evidence degrading as we speak."

"I know. OK, hang in there, Nicky. Give me a call when you get to the scene." Gris hung up.

"How much trouble are you in?" Sasha looked over at him with a small smile from her place against the wall.

"Actually, I'm not." He pulled his polo shirt over his head and threw it by his kit, relaxing against the wall as well. "How are you doing?"

"As long as I don't move, I'm fine." She laughed again. "How about you?"

Nick pulled his bandana from his pocket and wiped his face and neck. "About the same."

"What was the report from the outside world?"

"The entire city is still out and my crime scene is probably toasted." His voice was filled with distain and disappointment.

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault." He actually cracked a smile. "That is unless you did something so you could get stuck in this elevator."

Her laugh resonated in the car. "Oh yes, East Texas. It's on my bucket list to get trapped in an elevator during a heat wave with no air conditioning."

"I knew it, Ma'am." Nick laughed and bumped her shoulder again. As his laugh faded to a smile, he noticed his breath coming faster, and he reached for his kit. There was always a bottle of water in there. It was what they both needed in order for them to keep heat stroke at bay. "Here. Take a few sips."

"Dear Lord, East Texas, I am going to nominate you for Boy Scout of the Century." Sasha opened the bottle and took a swallow of the water that was halfway between warm and cold. A thought ran through her head that water never tasted so good, but she just laughed it off.

He laughed again. "Not sure there's a merit badge for that."

"There should be." She handed him back his bottle and smiled when their hands touched. If they hadn't both been feeling the effects of heat exhaustion, there might have been more than just hands touching.

It had been a full ninety minutes from when the elevator stopped and Nick was only hearing that the serviceman had been called but, because the power was out and traffic was jammed, no one was there yet. It wasn't the news he wanted to hear, but at least they were faring well with their water supply down to the last few swallows. They had about another hour before he was going to start worrying. "Do you know what you haven't told me yet?"

"What's that?"

"What cities you've been to."

"You really want to hear about my travels? Nick, it's rarely as exciting as I make it out to be in my column in American Adventure Magazine or in my books. Most of my two months are spent going where the tourist board wants to send me or writing. I'm a writer. It's my job to make it sound like you're missing out on something by not being there with me."

"You also write a column?" He looked at her intrigued and actually sat up. It was the first tidbit of information she'd given him as to what her pen name was in the entire time they'd been trapped.

"Yes, in a magazine that only about ten thousand travel junkies read every month. It's not like I have a show on the Travel Channel or anything. Samantha Brown, I'm not." She grinned. The look on his face was like a boy with a puzzle. She'd given him a key piece and now he had the best part of trying to figure out where it fit.

"But it is syndicated and runs in local papers, right?"

"No. My publisher doesn't want me over exposed."

"Have your books been on the New York Times Best Sellers List?"

"A couple of times, but they are dated. I only go to specific cites and alternate each year. For instance, this year I started in January with Denver, went to Key West and Miami in March, and finished Chicago three weeks ago, and now here we are in July and I'm in Vegas before I head to Boston in September. It'll be six different cities next year. Actually, that's not quite accurate. They will be the same cities as last year and the year after that will be the same cities as this year. There are always a few variations on the same theme, but the music really doesn't change." She laughed as she watched him still with the same grin and childish look on his face, but that laugh turned to a gasp when the emergency lights went out.

"They lasted longer than I thought." Feeling around for his vest, he pulled out his flashlight.

"Boy Scout of the Century saves the day again." She shook her head with a smile and he laughed. "You know, Nick Stokes, if I was destined to become trapped in an elevator, I'm glad I was trapped with you." He laughed a nervous laugh. "I'm being serious here. I don't think I've had this good a time in months." She laughed. "What does that say about my life?"

"That you need to get out more." He winked at her and smiled as she did. "No, I'm actually having a good time myself. You are a very nice person to be around, Ms. Sasha Pennington, and I will be happy to tell your editor to give you an extension so I can show you the real Las Vegas."

"You'd do that? You'd call up and say," she deepened her voice, put on her best Texas drawl, and tried hard not to laugh, "this is CSI Nick Stokes, Ma'am, and I think you should extend Sash's deadline because she was stuck in an elevator with me?"

Her laugh was infectious. "I would say it a little differently, but yes, I would do that for you." Reaching for her hand, he kissed her fingers, and they were even softer than he'd imagined. "And for me. I want to spend more time with you, preferably somewhere with air conditioning."

Sasha laughed again, as he did. "Yeah, that's an idea."

"And if I call your editor maybe she'd tell me the name that you write under so I'll know if I've ever read your stuff."

"This is killing you, isn't it, East Texas?"

"Yes, Ma'am, it is. I'm not the type to leave questions unanswered. Nature of the beast, I'm afraid, and I've been known to go digging through remote corners to find the answers I seek."

She laughed as she'd been doing for almost two hours. "Well, I wouldn't want a police inquiry on my record. So, I'll tell you, but you have to give your word that you won't tell another living soul."

"Boy Scout Honor." They shared yet another laugh when he held up three fingers.

"Shannon Piper."

"Shannon Piper?" Nick thought for a moment. "I think I have read your book. Actually, I know I've read one of your books. When I went to Chicago for a conference last year. I bought your guide." He smiled. "There was a lot of good restaurants and you were right about the place off the beaten path. It was the best food."

"I'm glad I could help."

His smile faded when she yawned and he checked his watch, almost midnight was glaring back at him. "Why don't you lie down and get some rest, Sash?" Winking, he balled up his shirt with her jacket, and lightly ran his hand over her hair. Even with how hot they both were, how drenched in sweat, her hair was still silky and smooth.

The sensation of his gentle yet masculine hand on her head and then her cheek was too much. She took his hand in hers and kissed his palm before closing the distance between them to kiss his lips, but he pulled away. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I'm still on the clock. That's the only reason." His lips tingled from the sensation of their tender kiss. He wanted nothing more in the world at that moment than to continue what she had started, but there was still the thought that at any time, that elevator was going to begin working again and he would have to try to explain why he was seen on a security camera making out while on duty. "Lie back down, Sasha. Get some rest, please." His hand touched her cheek and even in the shadows of the small flashlight, he could see her close her eyes.

"I can't, Nick. I can hear everything underneath us and," she looked away with a nervous laugh, "I don't know. I just don't like it."

"OK." He moved their clothing against his kit then lay against that before opening his arms to her. "Now, I can't promise you that I smell very good or that I'm all that comfortable, but I can promise you that you won't hear anything from below us and that I won't be fresh."

"I don't think I smell like a bed of roses myself and I am so hot I am probably going to be slipperier than a politician, but if you don't mind, I don't mind."

"I wouldn't have offered if I minded, Ma'am." She just smiled at him and curled up against him, laying her soft head against his peck, right on top of his heart, and he almost regretted the offer because she felt so good. There hadn't been a woman that close in months, at least not one who'd fit as well as Sasha. When he felt her sigh, her ample bosom heaving slightly against his chest, her breath slowing down, almost cooling down, he placed his arm over hers on his stomach, and nestled his cheek against her soft raven hair, falling asleep himself until cold air suddenly began blowing on his face. "Sasha, Baby," he kissed the top of her head, "wake up. I think the power is back on."

"Hmm?" She sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes. She hadn't intended to sleep so deeply, but she'd felt safe in Nick's arms.

"The air conditioning is back on. I don't think it will be much longer now." There was disappointment in his voice. He heard it, but he didn't think Sasha did given how groggy she was.

Oh, she'd heard it and she couldn't disagree. So, after throwing her tank top back on, she reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a rather soggy business card. "This isn't going to work."

"What's not going to work?" He shined the flashlight over at her.

"I was going to try to subtly pass you my business card, but I'm afraid it's soup."

"How about we try the not so subtle approach?" Laughing, he handed her his cell phone.

After programming in her number, she leaned against the back wall and enjoyed the cool air on her face. "I am not going to take air conditioning for granted for quite some time." They shared another laugh and she took his hand for a quick moment before the lights came back on and they were deposited on the tenth floor, five hours after their fateful meeting.


	2. Chapter 2

The scene he was supposed to process was handed off to Greg Sanders and Nick was told to go home. Trouble was, he couldn't get Sasha out of his head. Her long raven hair, her sparkling blue eyes, the feel of her beautiful feminine form against his, the way she had the ability to make him laugh, all of it filled his thoughts even as he lay his head on his pillow to go to sleep. What could have been a nightmare filled with flashbacks and claustrophobia had actually been a pleasant experience, save the oppressive heat.

Suddenly, the words flowed from her fingertips as though someone had opened a dam. Sasha sat at her keyboard and wrote until daybreak, finishing her chapter ahead of schedule, and filled with an idea for a chapter dedicated to her signature local fare places. That was if Nick called her, but she wasn't thinking about the negative when she finally lay back on the expansive suite canopy bed. No, she was thinking about how good it had felt to be in the arms of a man again.

At about noon, Nick dialed the newest speed dial in his phone and prayed she'd pick up. "Hi, Ma'am." The smile on his face hurt it was so wide.

"Hi, East Texas. How did your case go?"

"Turns out evidence doesn't wait for any CSI and they reassigned it."

"I'm sorry."

"I keep telling you not to say that unless you planned on getting stuck in that elevator last night."

"I wish I could be that creative, East Texas."

His smile went into a grin. The way she flirted was subtle enough to be classy, but straightforward enough to let him know she was still interested. "I'm sure you are. How'd it go with your editor?"

"I actually didn't need an extension. I finished the chapter early this morning after I got back to my suite."

"Come on now." The Texas drawl was thick, but he didn't care. "I thought you were going to let me take you around to all the out of the way places."

"I'm sorry, East Texas, but I couldn't wait around hoping that the perfect man was going to actually call me." She laughed. "So, I talked my editor into letting me add a chapter devoted to just the local places."

"Now, that's more like it. I'll pick you up in fifteen minutes. That is if you think you can stand getting into an elevator again?"

She laughed again. "I'll see you when you get here. I'm in Room 1603."

Fifteen minutes later, Nick was smiling once more when she answered the door to her suite wearing a fitted cotton blouse in a vibrant red and blue jeans that hugged her curvaceous hips and well toned legs. "Hi Ma'am."

"Explain how one two letter word can have five syllables, East Texas?" She grinned and did a quick once over of his well-tailored white Oxford and black jeans.

"How about I explain it over lunch?"

"That sounds like a great idea." Linking her arm with his, they walked to the elevator. "Are you sure you want to chance it?"

"I rode up in it. How did you get to your floor last night?"

"I ran up the stairs." Her eyes searched the plush carpeting for nothing in particular.

"It'll be fine, Sasha." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "Besides, I'm with you. At least you know you won't be bored if it gets stuck again." The laugh that answered him burst out of her causing her entire body to shake and when she looked up at him her blue eyes shone like two perfect sapphires. There was a clarity that he'd never seen before and they drew him in. Never had he felt such a draw, an almost magnetic connection, and it intrigued him.

They'd known each other for less than a day but it felt like she'd known him her entire life. In only five hours in an elevator, she'd formed a connection with someone who had been a complete stranger. Even as they spent another five hours together, this time wondering the city of Las Vegas instead of trapped in an elevator car high above it, they connected. They laughed together like she'd never laughed with anyone before him. They had similar likes and dislikes; music, literature, even cars and ice cream flavors. Being with Nick almost made her forget why she was in that city in the first place.

Arriving back at Sasha's hotel suite after a day of fun, food, sun, and laughter, he took her up on her invitation to come in for coffee. He didn't have to be back at work until midnight and he certainly didn't want to go home to an empty condo and leave her. "Nice room."

"It's OK."

"You've had better?"

She laughed as she started the coffee pot. "Nick, I write travel guides. Every hotel puts me in their best suite. They begin to all blend together. After a while, the only thing you remember are how well you slept on the beds."

"Where was your best one?" He put his arm around her when she sat down next to him on the couch, his face just inches from hers.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, Sash, I really want to know. Why do you always ask me that when I ask about your work?"

"Because my job is boring and you have a look in your deep brown eyes that is telling me the question you really meant to ask how that one is up there." She gestured to the canopy king against the inner wall.

"There's time for that."

"True gentlemen to the end are you, East Texas?"

"Yes, Ma'am, I am." Leaning forward, he kissed her with a delicate caress and pulled away before either one of them was really satisfied, leaving them both wanting more. "You never answered my question, Sash."

"I'm not sure I remember it after that." She traced her finger down his defined jaw line as she attempted to regain her composure and attempted to kiss him again.

He shook his head and placed a finger against her soft warm lips. "Answer my question first."

"After that, you expect me to remember where my best night's sleep was?"

"Yes, Ma'am, I do."

The drawl was a tad bit stronger when he spoke and she couldn't figure out if he was doing it on purpose because he knew it turned her on or if it was because he was just being himself, but either way, it caused her to give him what he wanted. "Philadelphia. I know, right?" She smiled when he looked at her with a look of surprise. "I've been around the world and that's the city I pick, but it's the truth. The Sheraton in Philadelphia had the perfect bed. It was both soft and firm and the sheets had a high thread count so they were buttery smooth, gliding across your skin like the gentle hand of a lover, and the pillows, oh my, Nick. They were this gel-like substance that just conformed to your head when you slept, cradling it as though it were specifically molded for only you."

"Makes me want to go to Philly." He smiled.

"It really is a great city."

"When were you last there?"

"Last year. I don't think I'm going to get to go back for awhile, though. My editor today told me that they want to send me to more exotic and foreign locations next year."

"Hey, free trips to paradise."

"Yeah, paradise." She looked away, but then looked back at him. "You should come with me."

"And do what?"

"I don't know. Pack up your Super Boy Scout Kit and come travel the world saving wayward women from faulty elevators."

He laughed at her description. "My 'Super Boy Scout Kit', huh? And just what does one carry in a Super Boy Scout Kit that has the ability to save wayward women in faulty elevators?"

"You tell me. You're the one who seemed to be able to pull everything we needed out of it last night."

"Then it isn't so much the kit as it is the man."

"You might just have a point here, East Texas."

Her smirk answered his and he leaned forward, kissing her once more, but not pulling away until he was good and ready. Problem was, he never reached that point and one kiss turned into more, and kissing led to the caressing of her amazing feminine form. His hand first slid up her denim clad thigh as she leaned closer to him, leading next to just above the waist of her jeans where her blouse separated and allowed him access to her silky smooth skin, and glided to the small of her back. She gasped slightly and tilted her head back so he could lay tender kisses against her neck.

When he began caressing her neck, Sasha slid her hand into his soft dark hair, holding him to her, before she unbuttoned her blouse and made quick work of his shirt, exposing the same muscular chest she'd slept against that morning. Now, it wasn't sticky from sweat, but it was still hot. It was the same heat, the same fire, she felt burning within her. Suddenly, the air conditioning she had set at sixty degrees was inadequate. They were generating a heat greater to the one they'd experienced in that elevator.

The sensation of her body against his as he carried her to her bed felt just as good as it had twelve hours before. It felt even better, more intense, when they pressed their bodies together on the bed. Her arms around his chest, her hands gripping his shoulders, then her legs around his waist as he slid into her slick depths, caused him to moan a low moan that caught in his throat as he kissed her once more. They fit so well together, moved with a timing that spoke of a relationship they didn't have yet, and finally climaxed with an intensity neither had ever experienced before.

"Mmm, what's that noise?" Sasha questioned the darkness when she awoke.

"Ah, damn," he sighed and reached down to the floor for his pants, "that's my phone." He fumbled before answering. "Yeah, Stokes."

"There's a four-nineteen in Henderson and swing is short-staffed. Can you take this one, Nicky?" Grissom's voice came through the line.

"I'm sort of," he stopped himself, "yeah, I'll be there in a half-hour."

"Thanks, Nicky."

"Another wayward woman in a faulty elevator?" She tried to make a joke to cover her disappointment and kissed his chest.

"Something like that." Rolling her onto her back, he kissed her deeply. "I'll make it up to you. Let me buy you breakfast after my shift." Even in the dim light of the city outside her window, her smile was radiant. "What did I say?"

"It's what you didn't say, but I guess I'm just going to have to get used to being in the presence of a honest to God gentleman."

"Yes, Ma'am, you are." He kissed her again. "So, what is your answer?"

"Room service would be lovely whenever you get off."

"Yes, Ma'am." One last kiss, one last smile, one last laugh together, and he slid out of bed.


	3. Chapter 3

'Whenever you get off' turned into two days later and she'd moved from the Venetian to the Bellagio, a Penthouse Suite over-looking the Strip that did something she didn't expect. It actually impressed her. It was expansive, more room than she was used to, but it felt empty. For the first time in her career, she was actually thinking a hotel suite was too big. That was until Nick arrived. Once he arrived, everything seemed just right, and she couldn't quite explain that feeling. "Hey, East Texas, you awake?" She looked up from her place against his naked chest and found him out cold. So much for breakfast, she smiled and lay back down.

A week later, Nick was walking through LVPD Headquarters and did a double-take when he saw the raven-haired beauty in the perfect pair of jeans in the waiting room. "Sasha, what are you doing here? Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine, Nick. No worries. I just stopped by to pick up crime stats for an article I'm writing." She smiled and watched the color return to his face. "Thanks for worrying, though. A girl always likes to know that someone cares."

"I most definitely care, Ma'am." He smiled at her, trying to disguise his relief. "Are we still on for tomorrow morning?"

"Oh yes. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

He smiled and stood up. "Well, I'll see you then. Take care, Ma'am."

"New girl?" Warrick Brown smirked at his friend as they headed back to the SUV.

"Yeah."

"Lucky man."

"I know." They shared a laugh.

The next morning, Sasha was the one laughing when Nick handed her the map of the hiking trail they were taking. "Boy Scout Hot Springs? Are you serious?"

"Of course, I'm serious." He grinned.

"Of course you are." She shook her head and put the map into her pack. "OK, Super Boy Scout, let's get this party started."

"Watch your step." Nick reached his hand out to her as they climbed a rocky face about forty-five minutes later. "Here."

Grabbing onto his forearm as he grabbed hers, she was impressed with just how strong he was. "Thank you."

"My pleasure."

They kept going, making it to the hot springs in twenty minutes. "God, Nick, this is beautiful."

"You going in?" He asked as they caught their breath.

"Hell yeah." Dropping her pack, she pulled out her Tevas and began changing. "Why? You're not?" She stripped out of her shorts and looked back at him.

"Why not. That is why we came here, isn't it?"

"That's the spirit." She grinned and took his hand, pulling him into the warm water.

Another hour later, they relaxed on the banks of the Colorado River, not another soul in sight, and only the sound of the flowing water. He'd packed a blanket for the occasion, but as he enjoyed the tranquility and the time with her, it hit him just how much he wanted to freeze that moment, never let it go, never let her go. "Sash," he looked down at where she was leaning against his stomach, "how much longer do you have here?"

"Well, it took us about two and a half hours to get here and it doesn't really get dark until eight so,"

He grinned. "You like being a wiseass, don't you?"

"It's a gift." She laughed, but it faded to a smile. "I move into the MGM on Sunday and Nick, I don't do goodbyes. One day, you will just know that I'm gone. I don't want us to get caught up in that desperate clinging that always comes when people know their time together is short."

"And what if I don't want to let you go?"

"Are you going to arrest me?"

"I might." He smiled and began running his fingers through the loose wisps of her long hair. "If it'll get you to stay."

"I've never been one for handcuffs, but it could be fun." She felt him laugh with her, but her smile faded. "Nick, I know you must think that I am some sort of rock star wannabe with a port in every city, but I'm not like that."

"I know you're not, Sash. You're too smart for that."

"Yeah, real smart." She stared into the clear blue sky overhead. Had she been so smart to fall for a guy she knew she could never have?

"We'll work something out."

"Yeah?"

"Of course," his smile returned, "Boy Scout honor."

She watched him try to keep himself from laughing, but it only caused her to laugh harder and soon they were both lost in a fit of laughter. It was what they did best. It was what she was going to miss the most.

It was two weeks later when the envelope was delivered to the front desk. The receptionist stopped him on the way in for his shift and told him that it had arrived in the mail for him that afternoon. He didn't think it was from her. He'd just left her hotel suite at the MGM and she hadn't said anything to him, but when he opened the manila flap and saw the magazine, he remembered what she had said, 'I don't do goodbyes.' There was a post-it on the front cover of American Adventures Magazine, the current issue for September, with her beautiful handwriting, 'In case you ever get stuck in an elevator again. Love, Sash.'

"Hey Nick." Warrick walked in behind him and slapped his friend on the shoulder, but it seemed to pull him from a trance. "You OK?"

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." He forced a smile and quickly slid the magazine back into the envelope. "Just not what I was expecting."

"Clearly."


	4. Chapter 4

By four in the morning, Nick couldn't find anything more to do with his case but wait for results so he finally took a break and began to read the magazine from the envelope, flipping to the article she'd flagged about their hike. He read every word, hearing her voice in his head as though she were sitting right next to him, seeing her images as though he were back there with her. Though she'd left out the part about how they'd made love underneath a waterfall or how they'd had lunch on the shore of the Colorado, even how they'd laughed about when she'd slid down the backside of a rocky slope. It was still eloquent, full of life, but it wasn't personal. Still, it only made him want her more.

Four in the morning found Sasha in the Las Vegas airport waiting on her six o'clock flight to a place she didn't want to go. She'd pretended to still be asleep when Nick left because she couldn't bring herself to tell him goodbye. She'd told him the truth that day by the river, she didn't do goodbyes. They were too painful. It was easier to just have a clean break, to slip away like a thief into the night. At least she told herself that while she'd cried for the better part of an hour after he'd left. After regaining her composure, she'd finish packing her gear and headed to the airport. There was no point in sticking around the suite, not when his scent still lingered on the pillow.

"Hi Sasha, it's Nick. Look," he said to her voice mail after finishing her column, "I got your note and I've read your articles, but I'm not accepting this as the end. We live in a technological age. We can make a long distance thing work. I thought we got along great in the past few weeks and I'd really like to see where we can go. So, call me, please. Let's talk about this."

His voice on her phone caused the pain and tears she thought she'd left in Vegas to resurface in her Atlanta hotel. She couldn't do her job when all she was thinking about was somewhere else. There had been other guys, guys who had been easier to leave, but not one who made her feel the way that Nick Stokes made her feel. He was different. She was different with him, much more open and she felt safe with him. That was probably how she wound up falling in love with him in six short weeks. "Hi Nick, it's me. It's Sasha." She wiped her face. She wouldn't allow him to hear her crying. "I got your message and," she paused and swallowed her emotions, "I'm really glad you feel that way because all the way here I was thinking the same thing. There's no reason we couldn't try to make it work. I mean, we both have cell phones, email, there are planes that go to most of the places my editor sends me, right?" Again, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "We can make this work, Nick, I know we can. We have to. I love you." Suddenly, she was horrified. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. Certainly, hadn't meant to make it sound like she was some typical needy, clingy woman, but she couldn't take it back. It was out there. "So, um, call me when you get off shift. OK?"

Three words had never sounded so sweet and his smile was wide when he heard it twelve hours later on his way off shift. The same notion had hit him after he'd already hung up with her. Somewhere between the elevator and the last suite at the MGM, he'd fallen hopelessly in love with her. He couldn't think about her without smiling, a warm sensation coming over him at the mere idea of speaking to her. The thought of never seeing her again, of never hearing her laugh, watching her smile, hearing her wiseass quips, it threatened to rip his heart from his chest. He refused to believe that was even possible. "Hey Ma'am. How's 'here'?" He heard her laugh. "How about we start with, where's 'here'?"

She laughed again. "I really can't say, but I'll tell you if give me your Super Boy Scout honor that you won't tell another soul."

"You have my Super Boy Scout word that I will never tell another where the travel writer extraordinaire is investigating."

"Travel writer extraordinaire?"

"Yes, Ma'am, I read your article about our Lake Mead hike. It was fantastic, though you left out a few details."

"To protect the guilty." They shared a laugh. "I hope I can get your seal of approval for Atlanta."

"Atlanta, huh? I've never been to Atlanta. Maybe I should fly out to meet you and we can explore it together."

Her heart skipped a beat and she felt her smile widen. "I extended the invitation, East Texas. I just ask that you bring your Super Boy Scout Kit just in case there is another damsel in distress in an elevator." He laughed again and she heard a locker close. "So, you just come off from saving the Las Vegas population from itself?"

"After eighteen hours. And now I am going home to sleep, but I just wanted to call you and hear your voice. Maybe we can talk about working things out."

"I'd like that, but you get some rest. I'll fly back to Vegas next weekend and we can talk more."

He stopped in his tracks. "Sash, you don't have to do that. I can come there."

A laugh came out as a quick rush of air. "Always the chivalrous gentleman. I need to remember that, but no, Nick, you don't have to. I have enough frequent flyer miles burning a hole in my account. It's about time I used them and I can't think of a better use than to come see you."

"I'll pick you up at the airport and you can stay with me."

She was silent for a second, trying to process her emotions, both elation and fear raced through her. "I'd like that."

"I love you, Sasha." He climbed into his SUV.

"I love you, Nick."

The next six days seemed to drag. There were the required tourist locales, supposed five star restaurants, and finishing her final chapter for her Vegas book, but it never seemed to be enough. Whenever he would get off duty, Nick would call her and it would just remind her that it was only Tuesday, or Thursday, but finally, Friday morning came and she grabbed a cab to the airport after breakfast.

"I've got tickets to the Rebels game tonight, if you're interested, Buddy." Warrick offered as they finished their shift on Friday morning.

"My girl's coming in this weekend, Man."

"So? Bring her with. I've got four tickets." He laughed. "Or do you think she'll fall for me?"

"Sasha's got better sense than that." Nick laughed. "I'm going to pick her up now. I'll let you know."

Traveling for a living and carrying her life around in a FAA approved suitcase had taught her a few tricks and she was grateful for every one of them when she was able to go straight from the gate to the street. She was just going to grab a cab to the crime lab, thinking she'd surprise her man, but he surprised her instead, meeting her at the bottom of the escalator. "Hey there, East Texas."

"Hi Ma'am." God, a woman had never looked so good as Sasha did in her white cotton blouse and form fitting blue jeans. Leaning down, he kissed her slow and deep. "Welcome back."

"Good to be back."

Gently, he brushed a lock of her soft and silky black hair out of her face and kissed her again. "Are you ready to go? Do you need to get your bags?"

"I've got everything I need now." Kissing him once more, she smiled.

Walking into his condo, Nick watched Sasha smile as she walked in. "It's not a suite at the Bellagio, but it's home."

She hooked her fingers in his belt loops and pulled herself against him. "East Texas, every hotel suite I've ever stayed in, no matter how famous the designer or how hard they'd tried, has always been cold and impersonal. This place is very personal. It's very you."

He smiled and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her, holding her in a light embrace. "In that case, welcome home, Sash."

"Mmm, say it again."

"Say what again?"

"What you just said. Say it again."

"Welcome home, Sasha." The sigh that accompanied the sad look in her blue eyes would have worried him if she hadn't laughed her nervous laugh right after. "I'm guessing it's been awhile."

"Yeah, it's been a few years. I've forgotten how good it sounds."

He held her closer, enjoying the subtle scent of her perfume again, the sweet scent of her shampoo as he kissed the top of her head, the way she fit so perfectly against his shoulder, enjoying everything he'd missed in the past week. "How about the grand tour of this humble palace?" He watched her smile and laugh as they separated.

There wasn't much to his place. The fact was her suite at the Bellagio was bigger, but Nick's condo was perfect. It was a home, with the bed still unmade and dirty dishes still in the sink. There was no daily maid or turndown service, no chocolates on the pillows, or even samples of hair car products in the bathroom. No, instead, the living room was filled with trophies and photographs, signs of life, the bedroom still smelled like his cologne, and there were clean shirts hanging in the small utility room awaiting a trip under the iron. Where she stood was truly a castle, a man's home, her man's home. "I love your place, Nick. It's so you." She picked up a picture frame from the coffee table as she sat down on the couch.

"Thank you." Sitting down next to her, he took her back into his arms, enjoying how she relaxed against him, fit against him. "That's the team I work with."

"Can I guess who everyone is based on our conversations?"

"I'd love to see if you could do that." He kissed her cheek as she laughed.

"Well, I know that person." She enjoyed his light laugh as she pointed to him. "That has to be Sara."

"How do you know?" He smirked when she pointed to the younger woman in the photo.

"Because she doesn't seem like a supervisor and I just don't see Catherine," she pointed to the other woman in the photo, "having a relationship with Grissom." She pointed to the middle-aged man. "How am I doing so far?"

"All that you're missing is Warrick."

She laughed. "East Texas, he's the only one left it the photo and standing right next to you. I think I could pick out Warrick with my eyes closed since he's your best friend."

"In that case, how would you like to meet him?"

"You mean I have to share you tonight?"

"Just at a Rebels game." It was his turn to laugh. "What do you say?"

"I say I just want to spend time with you so if you want to go to a Rebels game with your best friend then I will be happy to join you at a Rebels game with your best friend."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I want to meet Warrick since I feel like I already know him."

"We could always just stay in tonight." He began caressing her neck.

"How did you put it? There's time for that?"

He laughed again. "OK, I'll call Warrick and we'll go with him to the game."

The night air was actually chilly as they walked to the stadium and Sasha's hand reflected the drop in temperature. "Wait here. I'll be right back." Running back to his SUV, he grabbed the sweatshirt from the back and ran back to her, watching her grin as he handed it to her. "What? Am I about to be called a Super Boy Scout again?"

"Among other things, East Texas. Thank you."

He kissed her. "My pleasure, Ma'am."

Warrick smiled and extended his hand to the leggy raven-haired beauty wearing what was obviously Nick's hoodie. Even in the oversized sweatshirt, he could see why Nick was with her. She was beautiful. Creamy white skin, sparkling blue eyes, legs that appeared to be sculpted and never ending, and curves in all the right places. Just looking at her he could tell why Nick hadn't spoken about her too much. "It's good to meet you, Sasha."

"It's good to meet you as well, Warrick. Nick has told me so much about you." Sasha smiled. Warrick Brown was taller than the image she had created from Nick's stories. His skin was a perfect chocolate brown, he had a muscular frame that was less bulky than Nick's, his brown eyes spoke of heartache, but they sparkled all the same as they walked into the stadium, and he flirted with her the exact way Nick had warned her about that afternoon. It must be part of his personality, Sasha thought to herself, because she hadn't let go of Nick's hand since she'd finished pulling his sweatshirt over her head.

During the seventh inning stretch, Nick wrapped his arm around Sasha's shoulders and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I love you, Sash. Thank you for coming."

His breath was nice and warm against her ear as he whispered and she smiled back, placing her hand on his cheek, and kissing his lips. "I love you too, Nicky and you're welcome."

It was after midnight when Nick smiled as he looked over and saw Sasha sound asleep as they drove back to his condo. The jetlag had finally caught up with her after an entire evening of fighting it. She'd been the one to insist on taking Warrick up on his invitation of a midnight breakfast at their usual greasy spoon after the game and had laughed right along with them as they joked, but it appeared that the moment he put the Denali in gear she's placed her head back against the seat and was out.

When pulled into his driveway, he thought about waking her so she could walk inside, but then he thought better and carefully slipped her out of the seat into his arms, carrying her into his bedroom where he placed her on the bed. As he undressed, he contemplated how to undress Sasha without waking her, finally deciding to simply attempt it and explain himself if she did stir. So, he unbuttoned her blouse, revealing her perfect and ample bosom, sliding it down her soft shoulders until he was able to pull it from behind her, lifting her ever so slightly, his hand touching the small of her back, feeling the warmth she gave off. Tossing her blouse over her suitcase, he set himself upon her tailor made blue denim jeans. Removing something that was that close to her body was going to be a challenge and take more skill than he thought he had, but as he slid them down her hips, again placing his hand on the small of her back to lift her ever so slightly, he enjoyed how the glided down her sculpted lower body. It was all he could do to keep from kissing her skin, though once she lay there in nothing but her bra and panties, the matching black lace causing him to both smile and lick his lips. That was when he noticed the Goosebumps forming and he carefully redressed her in the Oxford he pulled from his closet before pulling the blankets over her, taking her into his arms as he slid into bed next to her.

The morning sun was bright but subtle as it streamed in through the northern facing window in Nick's bedroom. Sasha drifted awake as the room lightened, becoming aware of her surroundings and her attire. Her memory of the previous night was hazy after they left the diner where they'd met up with a few more of Nick's friends. They'd laughed and joked over coffee and eggs until it was close to midnight, that much she remembered, but after that, after she fastened her seatbelt in Nick's truck, she didn't remember a thing. She certainly didn't remember undressing and putting on one of Nick's shirts.

"You fell asleep in the truck and I couldn't see letting you sleep in your jeans, Sash." Nick answered her actions with a groggy tone.

"Thank you. You could have woken me up, Baby. I didn't want to be a burden."

"Believe me," he kissed the top of her head, "it was no burden."

She laughed as she nestled herself back against him, her head against his chest. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome." He leaned down to kiss her, but she shook her head and placed her finger on his lips. "What?"

"I haven't brushed my teeth and the only thing worse than morning breath is morning breath mixed with coffee breath."

"Then I just won't kiss you on the mouth." He kissed her neck as she laughed again. "I'm not letting you go until your plane leaves tomorrow."

That wasn't what she wanted to hear. The last thing she wanted to be reminded of was how short their time together was and as he undressed her, caressed her skin, sent waves of electric pleasure course, Sasha held him close, lacing her fingers in his hair. The feeling of intense passion that he was always able to evoke from her caused her desire to stay to increase. She never wanted to leave that. Never in her life had she ever experienced what she experienced with Nick and now that she had it was like a drug she couldn't, wouldn't, give up.

He'd missed her. He'd missed the feel, the taste, and the sensation of sliding his hands all over her silky smooth skin. It had only been a week since he'd last seen her but it had felt like a lifetime. Never had he ever met a woman who so dominated his every thought from the first moment he'd met her. That night they spent in the elevator had been one of the best of his life. It could have been one of the worst, but being with her, feeling her against him had left him feeling as though he couldn't be without her.

She melt beneath his touch, succumb to his every whim, not that it was overly difficult. He made her feel as though they were the only two people in the world. When he kissed every inch of her skin, he almost sent her over the edge then. When she caressed his muscular body, running her hands over what she could, she felt his pulse begin to race, matching hers, and when he slid inside her she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming.

Her moans were deep and she always tried to silence them, but they told him she was right there with him on the vast sea of passion they were creating. The waves rocked them into a rhythm that could only be created by the two of them moving together. She felt so good around him and against him as they moved and when he heard her breath increasing, felt her back arching, he knew she was about to fall over the edge into the abyss of pleasure. With one last thrust her breath stopped, and she called out for him, repeating his name four times, before she could take a single breath in, and her body writhed beneath him. Her body almost convulsing, grinding against him made his head spin. He couldn't hold on any longer and he felt himself explode deep within her, felt her kiss his shoulder as he held on to her, and he caught himself just before he collapsed on top of her.


	5. Chapter 5

Two hours later, freshly showered and redressed in the same Oxford Nick had leant her the night before, Sasha sighed and relaxed against his exposed chest as they watched TV. "East Texas, what are we doing?"

"Enjoying the first of many lazy Saturday mornings." He kissed the top of her head before his fingers resumed their gentle stroking of her long raven locks.

"Does that mean we have to have rules to this relationship?"

"Do we need rules?"

She sat up and looked at him. "I don't like relationships with rules. To me you're like watermelon and I don't think rules should apply."

"Watermelon?" He laughed, the baseball game on the screen suddenly forgotten. "I don't think I've ever been compared to a fruit before. This I have to hear."

She pulled her knees up to her chest and tried to hide the blush that was rising up in her cheeks. "Watermelon is my favorite food. I have been known to pay way too much for it when it's out of season just because I want it when I want it. It's almost an addiction."

"So, I'm an addiction?"

"Oh, and I'm not?" She smirked back at him. "Don't tell me that I flew here only for myself because I don't buy it."

"No, Baby, I am just as addicted to you." He kissed her hand. "Though you taste nothing like watermelon." Her laugh lit up her striking blue eyes, causing them to sparkle, and he pulled her down into a deep kiss. "OK, so the first rule is there will be no rules?"

"I like that rule."

"How about the second is that once a month we have to spend a weekend together? I'll fly to wear you are on the even months and you can fly out here on the odd."

She groaned. "That sounds too restrictive. I want to be able to see you when I want to see you."

"Sash," he tried not to laugh at her whine, "I can't afford to fly out to see you whenever you want."

"Who said anything about you doing the flying? Watermelon, remember? I always do the traveling. I've never known it to come to me." She kissed his chest as he laughed again. "Now do you understand?"

"I think I'm beginning to."

Sunday evening, Sasha awoke to the sound of the alarm and a forensic journal on Nick's side of the bed and she laughed. 'In case you ever get stuck in an elevator again. Love, Nick.' There was a flag on the side marking an article that he and Warrick had co-written and she found herself engrossed by it, though a little confused at times, as she read it on the plane back to Atlanta.

"Hello, Ma'am," Nick grinned as he saw her number come across the caller ID of his cell phone at the end of his shift, "did I help cure your insomnia?"

"If you are asking if I read your article, the answer is yes, twice."

"How many words did you have to Google?"

"None, I thought I'd wait and ask my scientist who packs heat what everything meant." She smiled when she heard his laugh.

"I'd forgotten you called me that in the elevator." He began walking to his car. "How about you write down all of those questions and I'll answer them in two weeks when I'm in Atlanta?"

"When you're where?"

"I've already booked my flights, Sash. This time the watermelon is coming to you." Her laugh caused his heart to skip a beat. It always did. The sound of her laughter, the sight of her smile, had been what had kept him from losing his mind in that elevator, and now it was what helped him end his day with a smile.

They talked and laughed for the next hour and a half before she heard Nick fall asleep and Sasha smiled before she hung up and returned to work. It was strange. Talking with him took time away from her writing, but she found herself actually writing better and for longer periods after talking with him. When she was shown different spots out in the city, taken to different restaurant, even hit on by another guy at a club, she imagined herself on Nick's arm and seeing it as she did when she was in Vegas with him. It made the city come alive, especially the historical spots that tended to be dry and took work to elaborate into full page descriptions were suddenly flowing as though she were describing the elevator where she first met Nick Stokes.

Nick had always loved his job, but after he left Sasha sleeping in his bed that Sunday, it became therapeutic. It was the one thing he could count on to take his mind off of her, the one thing that kept his mind from wondering what she was doing, the one thing that kept him from remembering just how good she'd felt in his arms. In the two weeks between when she left and when his plane took off for Atlanta, Nick had maxed out of overtime.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel was one of the best in Atlanta, a five star hotel that really deserved that rating. Still, Sasha found her room to be just like any other hotel room, cold and impersonal, but she couldn't fault the hotel for the fact that her mind now compared everything to Nick's condo. For years, she hadn't known any different, going from one hotel to another, each one just as fancy as the last, all of them feeling like a temporary home. That all changed in three days in Las Vegas. Being with Nick, being in his space, that was home, and left her searching for that same warm, safe, feeling that she knew didn't exist outside of there.

"We're all headed for breakfast. You coming, Nicky?" Catherine smiled when Nick walked into the locker room.

"No, thanks. I've got to be at the airport in two hours anyway so I think I'm just going to go now. Thanks for the offer, Cath."

"When do we get to meet this new girlfriend?" Her smile turned to a smirk.

"Some of us already have." Warrick jumped on the razzing bandwagon. "She's beautiful and smart. Probably why he's hoarding her all to himself."

"No, I'm not hoarding her. She travels a lot so we are trying to make a long distance thing work." Nick unloaded his gun and placed it in his locker. "It's complicated."

"No," Greg grinned, "it's not complicated with a woman that gorgeous. We all know why you are with her."

"Where was I when you were showing her off?" Catherine questioned.

"It was your night off when we all met for breakfast two weeks ago."

"Well, next time she's in town, I want to meet her."

"Fine." Nick closed his locker. "Next time she's here, we'll throw a party and everyone can meet her. Now, I've got a plane to catch. See Y'all."


	6. Chapter 6

"Nick!" Sasha's voice called over the din of the crowd in the Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, hardly containing her excitement. Suddenly, she felt like she was ten again and watching her father deplane after a business trip to London. Though, this time, she was more interested in the man himself than what he had brought for her.

The sight of her jumping, trying to get his attention over the rush of people, caused him to stop in his tracks and smirk. She was dressed in the same tracksuit he'd met her in, black with a dark blue stripe that was the same color as her sparkling eyes, and in those eyes he saw the most childlike expression that caused his heart to feel light. "Do I taste like watermelon?" He whispered after he kissed her.

"More each time." Kissing him again, she enjoyed his arm around her shoulders as they walked out to a taxi.

That night he laughed with her as they relaxed on the couch in the sitting area of her suite. They'd been going through his article, Sasha understanding more than he first thought, which shouldn't have surprised him, and then he attempted to show her how the evidence had been collected. "I am not running a game, Sash."

"I should hope not."

"Why? Was it that bad?"

"No, you already have me."

He laughed again. "Now who's running a game, Ma'am?" She laughed again and sipped her wine. "Here, I'll show you what I'm talking about without touching you." Reaching for her wine glass he laughed again as she smirked. "Do you see the lip print you left on the edge?" She nodded. "We were able to not only get DNA from something like that, but we were able to separate it from the surrounding liquid."

"Nick, that's fantastic. That's about the moisture of a kiss."

"Actually, a kiss has a bit more, but you have the idea." He laughed a nervous laugh when she said nothing, only smiled at him. "What?"

"Nothing. I just like listening to you discuss what you do."

"I'd rather talk about what you've been doing."

"I'd rather discuss the moisture in a kiss."

He laughed as she moved closer to him and he placed his hand on the side of her face. "That can be arranged."

She ran her finger down his defined jaw line. "I've said it before, but I'll say it again. You truly are the perfect man, East Texas. Brains and brawn."

Sliding his thumb over her lips with a feathery touch, he watched her eyes closed, and he leaned closer, whispering in her ear. "You need to get out more, Sasha, but I thank you." She gasped as she tried to laugh and he smiled as he finally pressed his lips to hers, feeling them part, seizing her after a moment, enjoying what he had missed over the last two weeks.

It amazed her how he was always able to make her go weak in the knees with just a kiss, light or deep, and melt into him. He was so strong, yet so tender, and never more was that contradiction apparent than when she lifted herself up and straddled his lap. His hands slid underneath her tank top, warm against her back, as he caressed her ample cleavage, and the way he held her close expressed his desire yet still danced on her skin, sending electric shocks throughout her body.

Her top was no match for his lust. Neither was her bra, and both were tossed onto the floor before he lifted her into his arms, carrying her to the bedroom, his lips never leaving hers. As they moved, her nimble fingers made quick work of his Oxford, and it was pushed from his shoulders when he placed her on the bed. When she knelt on the bed in front of him, she pulled at his belt, but as she pushed the khaki fabric off his hips, the sound of the phone blasted into their stream of consciousness. "Let it go, Sash."

"I was planning to."

He seized her mouth again, sliding his hands down from the small of her back, pulling her against him as he slid her sweatpants from her curvaceous lower body. The sensation of her naked body pressing against his caused him to almost explode. "God, Sasha, I love you."

"I love you too, Nick." It was barely above a whisper. He felt so good against her and yet she wanted even more. She kissed him deep before kissing a line down his defined chest and washboard stomach, lying back on the bed, calling him closer.

The invitation was too tempting and he kissed his way from her ankles to back to her sweet lips, her smooth skin hot against his, and he smiled, watching her writhe beneath him, gripping the bed sheets, before he slid into her slick womanly canal, moaning along with her. They created their signature rhythm within seconds and the symphony that was composed was one of both lust and love, rough and tender. They both wanted to make it last; yet they both were gluttonous, ravenous, because of their long separation. There was only so much a phone could do and having her close, as close as two people could be, filled his heart and warmed his soul, and when he just couldn't hold back any longer, he thrust against her one last time, exploding deep within her.

Hearing him call out for her, feeling him exploding within her, sent her falling over the edge. Her breath caught in her throat, her eyes felt as though they were going to rollback into her head, and she grabbed on to Nick, pulling herself against him, pressing their sweat-covered bodies together. When her peak began to subside, her breath returned in a deep guttural moan followed by his name, the name of the only man who had ever made her feel like she belonged with him.

"Sash?" Nick questioned the dark of the suite when he awoke and found her gone from his embrace. "Sasha?"

The sound of his voice and the opening bedroom door shocked Sasha out of her fog. She stood up from the couch with a start, quickly wiping her cheeks free of tears. "Hey, East Texas. What are you doing up?" She forced a smile.

"I could ask the same thing of you, Ma'am. I wake up and find you gone. What's going on?"

"I just got up to collect my clothing."

"In the dark? Come on now. What's really going on, Sash?"

She couldn't help herself, and she smiled at the sound of his beautiful Texas drawl. "I did get up just to get my things so the maid doesn't think we were hanging from the chandeliers."

"But then you decided to check your messages."

"Wha–? How did you know?"

He grinned and walked closer to her. "Sweetheart, I'm a CSI. I noticed the orange light went out on the phone before I came out here. So, what has you upset?"

"I'm not upset. What makes you think I'm upset?"

He put his hands on her shoulders. "Because I love you, but also because you are trying to hide something from me. I can hear it in your voice. So, why don't you come back to bed and we'll talk about it?"

She pulled away and turned her back to him. "I can't. I won't discuss this in bed. That's the one place I feel safe, in bed with you. I won't let Andy take that from me."

"Who's Andy and what does he have to do with this?"

"Andy isn't a he, Nick. Andy is short for Andrea and she's my editor. The message was from her."

"Giving you your new assignment?" He took her back into his arms. "So, were are you off to next?"

"Hawaii."

"Hawaii? That's great, Baby. You've wanted to get back there." She laughed a rueful laugh. "OK, so it's not great. What's wrong with it?"

"No, Nick," she turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck again, "you're right. I have wanted to get back there, but if I go, it means putting us on hold for eight weeks."

"Who says? Sash," he kissed her nose, "we've made it work this far. What's another two months?"

"Yeah, but neither one of us can really hop a plane to see the other for a weekend and I can't be gone for longer than a few days at a time and still hope to make my deadlines."

"OK, so we make set times to call one another and we email more than we talk. It's doable."

"Ugh." She groaned, but smiled as she placed her head against his chest, loving the feeling of his chin in her hair. "But that means rules."

"I'm afraid it does, Ma'am, but sometimes there even have to be rules about watermelon." They shared a laugh and he walked her back to bed.


	7. Chapter 7

In theory, Nick's idea made sense. They were both always working anyway, so how would they even notice that six weeks went by without physically seeing each other. Problem was, Sasha did notice. Every night when she went to bed alone, every morning when she woke up to an empty bed, she noticed just how long it had been since she'd seen him and she'd want to call first thing in the morning, but she would always refrain. He was sleeping, he was working, he was on call, she told herself all the excuses why she wasn't going to be the one to call at an unscheduled time. Instead, she dove into her articles, into the city around her. Maybe if she worked long and hard enough, she could forget the pain in her chest. It didn't help.

Him and his big mouth! Nick cursed himself every morning when he hung up after talking to his beautiful Sasha. Why had he made such a ludicrous suggestion? They could go eight weeks, two long months, without seeing each other? His heart answered that question in the negative each time hung up with her or woke up to her side of the bed being cold. He needed her like a junkie needed a fix, but he couldn't have her. She'd been right about not being able to hop a flight from Las Vegas to Honolulu. He'd checked. Almost every afternoon since she'd left.

Hawaii was paradise. That couldn't be argued, but no matter how beautiful the surroundings, how often Sasha found herself working on a beach chair by the ocean in eighty-degree weather, she was cold. It was a sensation she wasn't familiar with. Cold and lonely were not things she had ever felt before that summer. Before that fateful night in the elevator of the Bellagio, she loved her job, loved the constant travel, and loved the solitude. Since then, everything had lost its charm. Even the perks the tourist boards threw at her had lost their shine. Suddenly, all she wanted was what she had always shied away from, a normal nine-to-five in Las Vegas.

"Ms. Shannon Piper, how are you?" Andrea laughed when she picked up the phone. "Let me guess. You are flying to Las Vegas this weekend and want an extension on your article for next month's edition, which you know I can't give you. I need it by Friday afternoon, Sash. No exceptions. We're going to print on Monday."

"No," Sasha's voice was flat, "I don't need an extension."

"You haven't needed one for the last month. What's going on? Did whatever happened in Vegas stay in Vegas?"

"I can't afford to keep buying plane tickets especially with the airfare from here to Las Vegas."

"Maybe the magazine will gift you that for Christmas." She chuckled again. "So, what's up, Sash?"

"Andy, how much vacation time does the magazine owe me?" She still didn't laugh.

"I have to check, but I'm sure it's a few months." Suddenly, her smile was gone. "You and your Vegas mystery are serious, aren't you?"

"I don't know. I just wanted to know my options for January."

"I was waiting for this." Andrea shook her head. "Sasha, for the last five years you have done nothing but work and travel. Right now, I'm going to tell you something that I really shouldn't. Your column generates more reader response than anything else in the magazine. We can't afford to have you burn out and leave, but you need to tell me now because I have to rearrange your schedule. Do you want to take a few months off?"

"I do, but I don't know what I'd do with myself." She sighed. "Andy, what would it take to rearrange my schedule so I'm in Reno for January and February?"

"An act of Congress. There is no way the publisher is going to go for you being in Nevada again after only six months. Sorry. You have only two choices. Go to the Napa Valley in January or go in March. As much as the magazine loves you, they don't love you enough to screw up the entire year's schedule."

"Yeah, I guess that is me being a diva." Finally, she laughed. "Thanks, Andy."

"You're welcome, but I can only give you until the end of this week to give me an answer, Sash. After that, we have to go ahead with the plans for Napa Valley in January. You are almost at the halfway mark in Hawaii."

"I never thought I'd be grateful to hear those words."

Andrea laughed. "Vegas must be something special. You've never held on to one before."

"There's never been one like him before."

"What's his name?"

"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." Sasha smirked. "If the magazine springs for the airfare, I might just bring him to the company Christmas bash, but as it stands now, I don't want to share."

"I will expense it myself. Now, spill." Andrea leaned back in her chair with a smile as her friend came back to life. There had been other men in Sasha's life, but never anything that could have been construed as a relationship, and there hadn't been one in over a year. To hear her talking about flying back and forth to Vegas and actually thinking about taking time off, Andrea knew there was something more to the new guy.

Warrick shook his head a week later. "Man, I have to say, I'm jealous. You two are actually making this long distance thing work. Tina and I couldn't make it work and we only work across town from each other." He laughed.

"Believe me, there are times I don't know how." Nick smiled and relaxed in the booth. "I just can't remember life without her."

"Yeah, I got that since every third sentence lately is about Sasha."

They shared a laugh. "Yeah, I guess I am a little obsessed. I think it has something to do with the fact that we haven't seen each other in a month."

"She'll be here for the holidays, right?"

"I don't know. Would she even get vacation since she works while on vacation?"

"Why don't you go to her? Women love surprises, Man."

Nick laughed again. "Yeah, I'll take a few days off and blow an entire paycheck just on the airfare just to impress her."

"The ladies do like that." Warrick laughed at the look on Nick's face. "You've got to do something, Man. I don't know how much more of your damn moping I can take."

Thanksgiving came and hit Nick hard. He couldn't figure out why, but the mere mention of the holiday depressed him. Both he and Sasha had decided that being together for four days wasn't worth the expense. Christmas would be better, especially since his parents had invited them to spend the holiday in Texas. To take his mind off of the fact that he was alone, he grabbed every hour of overtime he could and still couldn't seem to avoid seeing everyone spending time with their family and loved ones. It just made him want her more.

"Hey Nick," Greg smiled and closed his locker at the end of his shift, "you and Sasha want to join the rest of us for Thanksgiving dinner?"

"I'm still on and Sasha's not here. For that matter," Nick felt his temper boil over, "why does everyone keep asking about Sasha? I really wish everyone would just mind their own damn business!" Slamming his locker closed, he stormed out of the locker room.

"Wow, touchy."

"Yeah, he and Sasha have agreed to only spend Christmas together and haven't seen each other in a month." Warrick spoke softly. "He's got it bad."

"I'd say."

"Hey Baby." A smile followed his sigh when her voice came over the receiver three hours later.

"Hey there, East Texas."

"Tell me you're sitting on the beach in the warm sunshine because it is actually snowing here."

"It's snowing? You have to send me pictures because I'm almost getting sick of the constant sunshine and 80 degrees." Sasha laughed when he groaned. The truth was she was sitting out in the sun trying to forget him, trying not to think about how far apart they were, and trying to work up the nerve to tell him it was over, but just the sound of his voice, hearing him call her 'Baby', shot that plan down. "Maybe I can package it up and sent it to you."

"That would be nice. It's been awfully cold here."

"But my Super Boy Scout was prepared for that, right?"

He laughed. "Yes, Ma'am. I had my department issued parka and my kit was fully stocked."

"Ready to save wayward females from faulty elevators, no doubt." Her smile widened and they shared a laugh. How could she ever live her life without him? It hurt. God knew it hurt, especially when they hung up, but being without him, not hearing his voice, his laugh, that hurt more.


	8. Chapter 8

The FedEx envelope arrived two weeks after Thanksgiving and in it was the details for the American Spirit Publishing Christmas Gala. Sasha had told him about it, but he'd made himself so busy with work that he'd lost track of time. A week to the day that package arrived Nick would be holding his Sasha in his arms, dancing the night away at The Waldorf-Astoria in New York. The hotel didn't even matter. All that mattered was that she would be with him, physically in his arms again, and that was the best Christmas present he could have ever asked for.

The top of the line Gulfstream jet landed early the week before Christmas and Sasha couldn't control the wide smile that was on her face when she deplaned and stepped into the stretch limo that was there to pick her up. She'd changed during the flight from Honolulu to Las Vegas so she was dressed in her red velvet gown, her long black hair twisted into a sea of curls on the top of her head, and her makeup was perfect. All that was missing was the man whose arm she was going to hang off of and she was about to pick him up from the Las Vegas Crime Lab.

What a vision in red she was as he walked into the reception area. Her dress, the same deep red shade as her lips, clung to every curve, the skirt ending just above her ankles, the slit in the side going up to her knee, and her legs, those long and perfect legs, were accented with black heels that were at least three inches high. She was a vision. Opening his arms, she ran to him, and he held her tight. "You are so beautiful, Sash. I have missed you."

"I've missed you too, Nicky." There were tears of joy brimming in her eyes and she took a deep breath to push her emotions down, but the subtle scent of his cologne filled her nose and she felt her body betray her, hitching at the familiarity, sending a single tear down her cheek. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek against his freshly shaven one. "It is so good to see you." She pulled away and grabbed a tissue. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

His smile was genuine and light, the touch of his hand on her back was soft and warm, and his eyes had a combination of love and concern. "I don't normally breakdown like that."

"I know." He laughed and took her hand as they walked out to the car. "It's kind of nice to know that you feel the same way that I do."

"I don't see you in tears."

"Watermelons don't cry." He gave her shoulder a gentle bump and relished the laugh that answered him. "But I was choked up there for a minute. You are easily the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, Sash, and you look even better tonight."

"Now who needs to get out more?" She winked at him and he helped her into the limo.

"You must be Vegas." The woman on the plane smiled and extended her hand. "I'm Andy. It is good to finally meet you."

He smiled and shook the hand of the beautiful bi-racial woman with the perfect caramel colored skin, long black hair that fell to her shoulders in a wavy shawl, and dark brown eyes. "Nick Stokes, good to meet you. Sasha has spoken very highly of you."

"The feeling is mutual. I can't tell you how many times I've heard about what Vegas was doing." She laughed. "Forgive me, Nick, but she wouldn't tell me your name until we were taking off from Honolulu. For the last two months, she's made me call you Vegas."

"I never made you call him Vegas." Sasha laughed from her place on the leather couch.

"You wouldn't tell me his real name."

"Why did you need that? You would have called him 'Vegas' anyway." She laughed again and leaned into Nick's embrace.

Sasha had gone to do press for the magazine when Andrea came up to him and asked him to follow her. Outside the banquet room, Andrea asked him how much he really knew about Sasha. He'd expected the 'what are your intensions' interrogation, but not by Sasha's best friend. "I know that she is a highly intelligent and gifted writer. I know that she is more beautiful than she believes she is and I know that I love her. Do I need to know more?"

"I'm afraid you do." Andrea took him into a separate meeting room, asking the drunken couple making out on the conference table to leave as though she were asking for them to pass the salt. What she was about to tell Nick was probably going to cause him to bolt, but it was better that he hear the whole story from her than bits and pieces from Sasha and never know the whole truth. "Have a seat."

"Andy, what's going on?"

"Vegas," she began, crossing her legs and taking a deep breath, "haven't you ever wondered why Sasha travels so much?"

"It's her job. I get that."

"It's more than her job. It's also for her safety." Nick didn't move and Andrea nodded. The only other serious one had freaked out at those words. This one might just be a keeper. "What I'm about to tell you, you need to know because Sasha will never tell you herself, but you also need to know that Sasha must never know that you are aware of this. Am I understood?" Again, Nick didn't move, only nodded. "Good.

Close to ten years ago now, when I first took her on as a client, when she was still green and fresh out of college, and I was still a literary agent, Sasha was really close with her family. We would only send her to about six cities a year and mainly only on the east coast so she could go home on weekends if she wanted to. Then she started to be come more and more successful and her father started to become strange. Her success must have rocked his masculine pride, I don't know, but he began asking her to invest in his hair-brained business schemes, which always lost her more and more money until she was asking for advances almost every month just to pay her normal bills. Finally the publisher had had it and threatened to fire her if she didn't get her act together. I went to bat for her and told her that enough was enough. It was time to cut Daddy off."

"I'm guessing he didn't take it so well."

"Not in the least. I was the one who increased her travel schedule to limit her exposure to him, but he found a way to keep his hooks in her. That was when I took the drastic step of changing her pen name and began registering her under various aliases. I also told her that the publisher didn't want her telling anyone where she was so that she could operate without the tourist boards attempting to bribe her. Well, that was the last straw. Daddy Dearest began making threats and accusations that we owed him, Sasha owed him, and even I owed him. It really shook Sash. She'd worshiped her father, lived for her family, and suddenly had to walk away with retraining orders to protect herself from them. It took years before she would even tell someone her real name and profession."

"Is that why she's not syndicated?"

Andrea laughed. "Is that what she told you? She is syndicated in most major newspapers, though we had to wait for a year after the original restraining orders were issued. It's just not under her usual pseudonym." She laughed again. "No, the publisher would have dropped her years ago if we couldn't have syndicated her column. The magazine has a niche that's good size, but not enough to generate the kind of revenue Sasha's column generates on it's own."

"Is her father dangerous?"

The smile on her face faded as the conversation switched back on topic. "To be honest, I don't know, Nick. He may have given up by now, but that never struck me as Rob's MO. We, and by we, I mean I fight with the publisher to try and limit her time in New York, flying her, as you saw tonight, via private jet when we have to bring her into the area. The publisher puts the hotel in lockdown anyway because all of the top brass are here, but I have a sneaky suspicion that it's also to protect their asset. Sasha is a valuable commodity, though she doesn't know that."

"Have you ever told her?"

Andrea smiled a sly smile and shook her head. "Vegas, Sasha may seem like she's cool and self-assured, but she's anything but, and I say that as her best friend. If I were to tell her that the publisher worries every year about when her contract is up for renewal and making sure she is happy, it would add undue pressure and she would shutdown. I can't have that. I need her to keep submitting her columns, articles, and chapters."

Nick nodded. "How much trouble is she in for taking these next two months off?"

"She's not. We've been wondering when she was going to want to take a break and have planned for it for years. Don't worry, Nick. I've got her back." She stood up. "We better get back before she notices we're gone. I just needed you to know so you can watch out for the signs. Sash is usually good about noticing if someone is following her, taking cabs, keeping her mouth shut, that sort of thing, but if you are going to be with her, you need to be prepared and aware. It wasn't fair to have you in the dark."

"No, I thank you for telling me, Andy. Don't worry," he grinned, "I've got her back as well."


	9. Chapter 9

Christmas Eve brought Sasha to another plane ride, one like any other, but it wasn't like any other. She wasn't traveling from one venue to another. No, she was flying from Las Vegas to Dallas and coming face to face with Nick's family. She began to think that facing a firing squad would be easier. What was going to happen when they asked about her family? Would they accept her standard answers? Most people did, but Nick wasn't most people. He would be able to know that she was holding something back. He did it for a living. Then again, she calmed herself, they would ask about her family to be polite, not to catch her in a lie. It's not like she and Nick were getting married. His father may be a judge, but he wasn't going to run a background on her. Was he?

"Sash, you're going to be fine." He whispered as they walked up the front path of his childhood home.

"No, I am fine, Nick." She forced a smile.

"Baby, I don't think so since I no longer have feeling in my hand."

He smiled at her and she laughed nervously before linking her elbow with his. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Just breathe and know that they will love you because I love you."

Walking in the door, she was greeted as though she was a member of the family and she returned the warm hugs she received from both of his parents. Either Nick knew that she was going to be nervous and told them to do that or they were just that friendly. Given how free Nick was with his hugs, she figured it came from his parents. However it turned out to be, that greeting helped her to calm down enough to make it through dinner.

Jillian Stokes found herself impressed with Nick's choice for a girlfriend. The woman was obviously intelligent, well spoken, polite, respectful, and beautiful. What she wasn't was Nick's usual type, for which Jillian was grateful. Her son loved redheads and he liked them a little on the immature side. Maybe Sasha had the perfect combination of maturity and a free spirit to get Nick to settle down. "Sasha," she began her questions as they relaxed by the fire after dinner, "what is your family doing without you on this Christmas?"

"There will be enough people around that I'm sure they won't even miss me." It was her standard answer that accompanied her standard smile.

"Oh, you have a large family?"

"I do. My father has three brothers who all have at least two children and now those children are beginning to have children. Four generations all together can get to be much."

"I guess they must be used to not having you for holidays because of your job."

"I don't know if they ever get used to it, but I've stopped getting guilt trips for it." She laughed in the usual place, right in kind with Mrs. Stokes.

Nick was impressed by how Sasha was able to handle herself given that he knew those were stock answers. There was nothing she said that could be construed as an outright lie, but she wasn't telling the whole truth. Then again, if Andrea hadn't told him about Rob Pennington, he would have believed every word Sasha was saying just as his mother was.

Sasha propped her head on her hand and watched Nick undress two hours later from the double bed in what had to have been his old bedroom. There were sports trophies on top of a mahogany chest of drawers, slightly yellowed posters of Texas A&M football and Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders on the walls, and old textbooks on the bookshelves. Underneath the bed she was almost positive she'd find a teenage boy's collection of dirty magazines. His parents hadn't touched the room since he'd gone to college. He was their son, and that was what parents were supposed to do for their children. "You know, don't you?"

"I know that I love you. Is there something else I need to know?"

His smirk told her he knew everything. "I love you too, but don't try to be cute, East Texas. You already are without trying, but that's another topic. Your actions are speaking louder than your words. Andy talked to you, didn't she? Otherwise you would have been all over me about what I told your parents being too vague."

"What would Andy have talked to me about, Sweetheart?" He flopped into the bed next to her. "And if you wanted me all over you, all you had to do was ask."

She straddled his waist. "We're not going to sleep until you admit to it. Everyone else who hears those answers tells me I'm being unusually vague and you're a CSI. I expected to be interrogated."

"Yes, Ma'am. Andy talked to me at the Christmas party."

"And you're OK with it?"

"Baby, I love you and this is part of your life. If I want you as part of mine, I have to accept the good and the bad, and as far as the bad goes, this is tame."

Leaning down, she kissed his lips with a soft kiss before sliding next to him to the one place she felt safe, in his arms. "Do you want to tell me how many skin magazines are underneath this mattress?"

He laughed as she kissed his shoulder. "None. There are probably more than a few comic books, though."

"Good to know you had real girlfriends when you were a pimple-faced teenager."

"I was never pimple-faced. I was, however, on the football team." He laughed with her. "Goodnight, Ma'am."

"Goodnight, East Texas."

The next morning, Nick made his way down the main stairs of his parents' house his head still groggy with sleep. He'd woken up to an empty bed and began to worry about what his mother was doing to his beloved Sasha. Her suitcase was still in the corner of the room, which was a good sign, though that didn't mean that his mother hadn't put her in a taxi to the airport anyway. "Sash?" Walking into the kitchen, he saw his mother and his girl sitting at the table with a pot of coffee and a stack of photo albums. "Mom, leave the girl alone. She doesn't want to see pictures of me at the science fair."

"Who says I don't, Nick?" Sasha looked up at him with a smirk. "I want to see the evolution of a Super Boy Scout."

He sat down in the chair next to her. "I think I better stick around so I can defend myself."

While Jillian Stokes fixed a Christmas Feast for the twenty people who had shown up at the house, Sasha stepped out onto the deck and hoped the night air would clear her head. After looking at Nick's baby pictures and listening to his mother tell stories of his much too normal childhood for the better part of the morning, something that resembled anger, though it could have been outrage, rise up in her. He owed her a deep dark secret because he knew hers, but he didn't have one, at least not according to his mother, and that worried her. There was nothing to prevent him from using that information against her, using it to hurt her. "Like he'd do that." She muttered under her breath with a shake of her head.

"What would I do?" Nick smiled as he stepped outside and wrapped his arms around her waist, but he felt her tense up. "OK, Ma'am, what did I do? This is Christmas. I don't want to be on Santa's naughty list."

She should have smiled, but she couldn't. "You owe me your biggest secret, Nick. The one thing you are terrified of anyone else finding out. The one thing you never tell anyone. The biggest lie you ever told, your biggest fear, something so that I know you have just as much to lose as I do if that information about my father ever got out."

"Hey," he turned her to face her, his smile gone, "do you really think I'd use that information to hurt you? Are you standing there and actually thinking that I'd contact your father to tell him where you are?"

Her eyes didn't meet his and she pulled away again. "I don't know. All I know is Andy had no right to tell you and now I'm feeling very exposed."

"That's because you're out here without a coat, not because you think that I think any less of you or would hurt you. I know you trust me, Sasha, because I trust you. I love you and when you love someone, you keep their secrets and you love them, holes and all."

"And what happens when you don't love me? What then?"

He laughed in a sarcastic way. "When I stop loving you? Are you serious? Sasha, that's never going to happen. Even if there comes a time when we're not together anymore, I will never stop loving you." He tried to take her back in his arms, but she pulled away again. "Sash, I don't know what more to tell you to get you to believe me. I don't care about your family situation. I care about you. I want to keep you safe. All I can do is love you and I would certainly never hurt you."

"See it from my point of view, Nick. By Andy telling you what she told you, I'm vulnerable. It's hard for me to trust someone with that much information. Opening up and telling you my favorite ice cream flavor, my hopes for the future, that's one thing. Telling you about the monster in the closet, that's a whole different ballgame."

He laughed again. "What we have isn't a game, Sasha, hasn't been for awhile. I want to know everything about you, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I have trusted you with a lot already, but if you really want to know my darkest secret, I'll tell you."

"I do, Nick. I can't explain it and I know it sounds irrational,"

"We all have our irrational moments." Reaching out for her, he held her while she cried, whispering his deepest secret that he'd kept locked away since college into her ear. Suddenly, he knew what she must have been feeling because it did feel like he was taking a big risk telling her the one thing he hadn't even told Warrick, his best friend.


	10. Chapter 10

The green glow from the digital clock read six in the morning and Sasha yawned. They'd been back in Las Vegas for a week and she was just becoming accustomed to waking up with her head on his bicep, having not felt him slide into the bed next to her after his shift. It was apparent that they fit so well together that all he had to do was take her into his arms and she was able to find the most comfortable place. She ran her hand along the strong arm that was draped over her waist, perfectly notched in the curve of her hip, and felt him pull her closer. He'd just gotten off a double shift and wouldn't notice if a bomb went off, but he felt her gentle touch. "I love you, East Texas." Waiting until she was certain he was back in a sound sleep, she slipped out of bed and made her way to the porch for the morning paper.

Nick walked out of the lab after his shift the next day and saw the beautiful raven-haired woman leaning against his truck. Right on time, he thought to himself with a smile, and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her, and kissing her deeply. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair as she kissed him back. "Hi, Ma'am."

She returned his grin when they broke about a minute later. "Hi, East Texas. Did you save any wayward females from faulty elevators?"

"Nope, not tonight." He kissed her again. "Did the truck give you any trouble?"

"Nope. I only ran over three pedestrians and one concrete barrier."

"How long has it been since you've driven?"

Laughing, she shrugged. "That might require a CSI to figure out because I really don't remember."

"Thank God you didn't tell me that before I gave you the keys."

"My Super Boy Scout was prepared for that, I bet."

"Yeah, I was. My insurance is all paid up." They laughed before he kissed her and helped her into the passenger side of his truck. "Let's get out of here."

"I just ran a couple of errands." She answered his question as they pulled out of the driveway. "I do thank you for the use of your baby."

"What sort of errands, Sash?" He looked over at her. "And you are welcome."

"Nothing you need to worry about. Just grocery shopping, getting my nails done, stuff like that."

"Is that what you were doing at PD last night? Getting your nails done?" She stayed silent and he took her hand. "Baby, I thought we were past this."

"Nick, I don't like talking about it and you know that."

"Maybe, but when I see my girl talking to a detective while I'm at work, I get concerned."

"There's nothing to be concerned about. It was routine paperwork."

"Unless you were working on an article, there is nothing routine about talking to a detective, Sasha." Stopping at a red light, he shook his head and looked over at her again. "Come on now. What's going on?"

"I got a call from Andy that my father had been sniffing around the magazine and I wanted to make sure that the Order of Protection from New York was properly filed in Clark County. You happy now?" She pulled away and glared at him.

"Concerned, yes. Upset that you didn't tell me before you went to talk to a detective, sure. But happy? Not by a long shot. Why didn't you tell me before, Sasha?"

"Because Andy just called yesterday morning and I didn't think it was something I needed to worry you about. This happens every year around January."

He shook his head again. "Is you life in danger?"

"I don't know."

"Sasha!" Nick slapped the steering wheel.

"Nick, I'm telling you the truth. I don't know. Last time I saw him, he grabbed my arm so hard he left a bruise that was there for a week, but,"

"You bruise easily." He lowered his voice as he finished her sentence.

"Exactly. It certainly helped when I was filing for the original TRO, but the truth is, I don't really know what he is capable of. All I know is that he doesn't like when someone screws with his wallet and I screwed with his wallet."

"OK." Nick took her hand and sighed. "We'll figure something out."

"There is nothing to figure out, Nick. Like I said, he does this every year around this time. I think it has something to do with him wanting to make amends as a new year's resolution."

"Is that what you want? To make amends?"

"Not really, but I don't know that I want to spend the rest of my life on the run and put you in the middle of a childish family squabble."

"Come on, Sash. Number one, family squabbles rarely require orders of protection. Second, you haven't put me in the middle. If I didn't want to be involved, I would have found my own way home from New York not taken you to Texas to meet my parents and be upset that you didn't tell me before Vartan. Please, Sasha, give me a little more credit." He kissed her hand again. "I'm sorry he hurt you, Baby. I'm sorry you can't trust anyone because of what he did. He's your father. He was supposed to protect you, to be the one man in your life you could turn to, but since he did none of those things, I will. Sasha, I'm here for the long haul if you'll have me. I promise, I can and will protect you, scare all the monsters out of the closet, and be the one person you can turn to when you feel like the world is getting too much for you." At the next red light, he looked over at her and found her staring at him, tears falling down her cheeks, a look of utter shock and disbelief in her deep blue eyes, and her free hand over her mouth. Pulling the truck to the curb, he turned to her, and took her face in his hands, wiping the tears away with his thumbs. "It is what a man does for the woman he loves, Sasha, for the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with."

"Oh my God!" It was barely audible. Could she really have heard what she thought she'd heard? It was so eloquent, so genuine, so open, and it was followed with a proposal. At least she thought it was followed with a proposal. No one had ever told her the things Nick just had so she wasn't so sure she'd heard what she thought she heard.

"This isn't exactly how I had it planned, Sasha, but I'm serious. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. Suddenly, all the words she used to make her living with were gone. She tried again and again, not even a squeak. Instead, she settled for nodding. Her head bobbed up and down and the tears became stronger when her body hitched.


End file.
